A 67-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance of three members of a family 26 years ago, police said today.

A 67-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance of three members of a family 26 years ago, police said today.

Patricia Allen, 39, and her children Jonathan, seven, and Victoria, five, were last seen at their home in Salcombe, Devon, in May 1975. No trace of them has ever been found.

The man, who has not been named, was arrested yesterday by Devon and Cornwall police in the Bournemouth area.

He was questioned at a local police station and released on police bail to re-appear in January, said a Devon and Cornwall force spokesman today.

A file on the case has been submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, he added.

The disappearance of Mrs Allen and her children led to one of the country's biggest missing persons investigations.

The mystery was reinvestigated this year by a special team of Devon and Cornwall detectives.

A police spokesman said at the time: 'We have a policy in force to look at unsolved cases of missing persons after so many years, and review them using modern techniques and principles to see if we can come up with any new lines of inquiry.'

Mrs Allen's husband, Anthony, did not report her or their children missing. Some months later an investigation began after rumours of their disappearance came to the attention of the police.

Mr Allen, then aged 41, told police his wife had walked out on him, returning two evenings later to collect her clothes and the children.

He said he had not reported her missing because she said she was going to America to meet an ex-boyfriend.

Mrs Allen made no further contact with relatives or friends and did not use her bank. Hundreds of pounds owed from the sale of a business remained uncollected.